


nightmares

by Fatnissandpita



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: F/M, idek, psychiatrist/patient AU, this might make you cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 19:25:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6484471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fatnissandpita/pseuds/Fatnissandpita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Do I call you that?” </p><p>“What, Dr. Fuller?” </p><p>“Yeah.” </p><p>“Well it would be appropriate.” </p><p>“You're like 10 years younger than me...it feels weird.” </p><p>“Okay then, please call me Kate.” </p><p>“Katie-cakes.” </p><p>“...we’ll get there Mr. Gecko.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	nightmares

“Don't you have to be _at least_ 18 to be a certified psychiatrist?” Kate rolled her eyes.

”Are you always this dumb or do the drugs that they prescribe to you in prison turn you into an idiot?”

“It’s just me miss,” the man grinned and stuck his hand out. “-names Seth.”

“I know Mr. Gecko, you're stuck with me listening to all your problems. I'm Dr. Fuller.”

“Do I call you that?”

“What, Dr. Fuller?”

“Yeah.”

“Well it would be appropriate.”

“You're like 10 years younger than me...it feels weird.”

“Okay then, please call me Kate.”

“Katie-cakes.”

“...we’ll get there Mr. Gecko.”

“Seth.”

“Okay, _Seth_.”  
   

* * *

                              
“Do you believe in God Katie-cakes?”

“I do. Do you?”

“No. Can't waste time believing in a savior who ain't gonna save. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why do you believe in God?”

“I believe in goodness and light and innocence,” Kate paused and fingered the golden cross lying just below her collarbone. “I think believing in something makes me a better person. That's why I’ve always wanted this job---there are bad choices but not bad people.”

“I used to believe in God. One time when I was about ten I prayed that my dad wouldn't beat me one night and---he didn't. The next day I woke up to my brother yelling that we had to go. I didn't understand why until I looked around the kitchen and found my dad's body burnt to a crisp. I thought it was God but it was Richie who killed him. After that it was just me and my brother alone in a screwed up world. No God helped us, we did everything ourselves.”

“How did you feel when you found out your father was dead?”

“I-I think I was angry at first. I hated my father so much but when he died I just couldn't believe it. I was finally not scared for once in my life...and that made me angry. He hurt us so bad and I just thought that--- if he hadn't been like that he'd still be alive and we’d be a happy family and Richie wouldn't be a lunatic and I wouldn't be so fucked up.”

“How do you feel about Richie?”

“He's my brother. I'd do anything to protect him, rob a bank, kill people, kidnap someone if he wanted me to. I owe him my life.”

“I don't think you owe him that much.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“Do you ever think about the future?”

“Sorry, the what?”

“The future.”

“Don't really have one ma'am.”

“Of course you do, you're out of prison in two years. You must be thinking about what you'll do when you're out, where you'll go.”

“Not really. What about you?”

“I imagine myself as I am now.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm content with where I am now, who I am now. Are you?”

“I'm content with you, in here...right now.”

“That's good. Why?”

“I'd rather be in here than with Sex Machine out in the courtyard.”

Kate laughed. “That's understandable. God, don't tell anyone I said this but I hope he switches to the Southwood prison downtown, he's the _worst_. Every time we have a session he uses the most _horrible_ pick up lines I have to try not to laugh.”

“I’m sure they'll transfer him soon, there's only so much Sex Machine one can put up with. But don't even get me started on Carlos, that egotistic maniac,” Seth muttered.

Carlos was a bastard leader of some cartel in Mexico. Richie and Seth had gotten mixed up with his gang at one point over a drug deal gone wrong and were nearly beheaded by the prick, luckily they were saved by their Uncle Eddie _who just happened_ to be vacationing in Mexico at the time.

With Seth’s luck, he ended up in the same prison as the asshole. It's just sunshine and rainbows sitting across from his best _amigo_ Car _lito_ during lunch.

Kate looked at the clock on her desk and jumped up abruptly, nearly knocking her coffee over. Seth of course, caught it before it spilt.

“Thanks.” Kate said shyly as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“No problem, might as well put these quick reflexes to some use while stuck in here.” Seth grinned.

Kate’s mouth may have slightly dropped open at that comment and Seth seemed to like her reaction. A lot. 

“Anyways, we’re almost _thirty minutes_ overtime and I was supposed to take my next patient twenty-five minutes ago,” Kate jumbled out as she hopped past Seth and opened the office door. “See you on Thursday Mr. Gecko?”

“No way I can get _out of it, Doc_.” Seth raised his eyebrows. “See you then.”

 

* * *

  
“Why the tattoo Gecko?” Kate asked one day as she stared at the way flames delicately licked their way from his left shoulder up his neck.

“No Mr. Gecko?” Seth responded as he raised his eyes suggestively.

“Didn't want to make you feel old.”

“Of course, too old for you _huh_?”

“Maybe,” Kate teased as a deep red color flushed throughout her pale body.

“I wanted to cover up scars and... flames just seemed right, after everything that happened. Kind of a reminder I guess--- that he's gone.” Seth shrugged.

“Why do you need a reminder?”

“Nightmares.” The moment he said it, the room grew silent and Seth’s eyes darkened a considerable amount.

Kate resisted the urge to shiver.

Sometimes she forgot he was in prison for more than _one_ reason, murder and assault included.

Kate believed he was getting better but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of doing bad things or making bad choices.

“Do you have them a lot, nightmares?” Her voice softened.

“A few times a week.”

Kate watched him and frowned. He was only four feet across from her yet he felt so far, hardened, lost, and not completely there.

“What're they usually about?”

“My dad hurting me or Richie or just people I care about.”

“What do you usually do after you have these dreams?”

“I used to shoot up. But I can't anymore so I just lie there and think about it. I know I shouldn't but I'd rather do that than go back to sleep and see him.”

“How long have you been having them?”

“I had them really bad right after my dad died but they started to go away as I got older. They've been frequent since Richie left five years ago.”

“That’s a lot of pain you've had to go through by yourself.”

“Mmm.”

“I'm going to give you my cell phone number.”

“For what?”

“To call me whenever you're having a bad dream, I think it’ll help.”

“But I don't want to wake you up, it happens a lot.”

“I want you to get better, Seth.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to get better?”

“I don't know. If I'm better I won't get to see you every other day, will I?”

 

* * *

  
Kate awoke to a startled buzz coming from her cell phone, a sweet angelic tune her mother used to play on the piano at their old country mansion but with cool techno beats--- _courtesy_ of her brother Scott.

She sat up straight and immediately groaned as her back made a violent _crunching_ sound.

 _Ouch_.

She felt around in the dark for her phone on her bed, floor, nightstand, and eventually found it like ten feet away on her dresser...five minutes later.

1:56 AM

“ _Kate_?” Seth’s deep voice croaked, thick with every terrible emotion Kate could think of.

God, was she even prepared for this?

“What happened?” Kate asked softly, concern leaking from her voice.

“He was _here_ ,” It came out strangled it was obvious he was trying hard to keep it all contained.

When Kate first saw Seth all she could think was oh god, another arrogant bastard like Carlito. He seemed so high and mighty when he walked into the prison of all places like he belonged in a cell---not even a serial murderer would have scared him.

But as she listened to him now---he was a very broken man and he needed her help.

“Seth, you don't have to pretend like you're okay. I don't want you to feel like you have to always be strong when you're talking to me.”

There was a long pause before a mumbled “..okay”.

“Tell me what happened.” Kate whispered quietly in the night, she could hear the wind howling and cars on the highway zipping past each other from her apartment window.

“He-he had me _fucking strapped down_ to that chair again and he wouldn't stop he just kept doing it and _doing it_ no matter how much I screamed and-” Seth gulped and choked on his words.

“Doing what Seth?”

“Cutting with his knife.”

Kate didn't say anything for a moment.

“Where do you want to be right now?”

Seth was silent for a while, Kate almost thought he hung up but the call was still going on. She heard him breathing deeply, he was calming himself.

“El Rey, at the beach maybe with a couple of margaritas going down my esophagus.”

“What would you do there?”

“Swim? I don't know, I've always thought of El Rey being my dream destination... I'm not sure what I'd do if I were actually there.”

“Seth?”

“Mhmm?”

“I think---I think you can get better.”

“Really?”

“..I do.”

“That's good.”

“Before you go to sleep I want you to spend a good amount of time thinking about what you'd do in El Rey, who you'd take with you---plan it out until you fall asleep. Tell me about it next time I see you.”

“...okay. Goodnight, Kate.”

“Goodnight.”


End file.
